VISITING THE FOLKS IN FLORIDA:
THE LIT/WIT TOUR OF FLORIDA RETIREMENT

Carol Cott Gross

DESCRIPTION: Take the tour of Florida retirement with Jewish Literary “Guides:” I.B. Singer, Phillip Roth, Warren Adler, Cynthia Ozick, Joseph Heller, and others wrote about the Florida retirement lifestyle. This lecture series will deconstruct the comedic “material” used by Alan King, Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason and Freddy Roman to decide if their portraits are accurate, exaggerated, hilarious and/or bittersweet. After tracing the evolution of Jewish jokes about aging adapted to Florida on doctors, dating, dementia, dining, driving, and the kids, attendees will see how jokes help develop community, creativity, and coping. The audience will learn tips on how to tell a joke and how to develop “joke courtesy” as a listener. This lecture series will discuss the current “rules” of humor, explore the changing role of Florida grandparents and how to bridge the generational and geographical gap with the out-of-town extended family, and give tips for the Florida visit. Participants will be shown visuals, given handouts and a reading list.

FOUR LECTURES:

1. Overview: What’s so funny about aging? Why Florida ? Is it senior high school? A southern shtetl?
   
2. Contrast and compare literary portraits of Florida retirement ainted by bestselling authors
   
3. Deconstruct Florida “material” used by comedians and the classic” jokes we tell about our lifestyle
   
4. New rules for Florida grandparents: Staying connected despite generational and geographic distance
   

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Carol Cott Gross is a 2nd generation snow bird who wrote How to Eat Early Birds for National Public Radio (NPR), How to Speak Condo for The NY Times, Seders in the Sun for Jewish publications and The Florida Weather Report for Newsday. Carol was featured in Public Lives in The NY Times as longtime director of Fly Without Fear. She’s been on TV and radio. Google Carol Cott Gross to read her published writing, and hop on her on-line blog, The Gripe With Carol Cott Gross. Carol is writing a selfhelp memoir, My Fright Is Now Boarding. Carol has taught about multi-cultural superstitions at LLS (FAU).